


One Last Tick

by neverananghel



Series: Ticking Clock [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Cliched Scenes, M/M, Sequel, Very brief KrisHo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-18
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-31 16:50:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8586247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neverananghel/pseuds/neverananghel
Summary: This is their version of happily ever after.





	

_It smells so much of roses._

This is the first thought that entered Minseok’s mind when he stepped out to the hotel’s garden, the venue of the “most anticipated wedding of the year”, according to one of the biggest broadcasting channels in South Korea.

 

And why wouldn’t it be?

 

Lu Han, 29 years old, heir to the Lu Group of Companies, one of the most eligible bachelors of both South Korea and China, voted as part of the 5 most handsome men of his hometown, is getting married to Na So Won, declared as the nation’s dream girl, one of the most renowned actresses of the country’s entertainment industry and even managed to land a lead role in a Hollywood movie.

 

The media is in uproar, as well as various netizens. The hopefuls of marrying either of the bride or the groom are probably bawling their eyes out as the wedding is to be held in less than an hour.

 

But no amount of tears will be able to stop this fateful union, seeing as how the organizers of the event really outdid themselves.

 

It is truly splendid—magical—how the coordinators of the wedding arranged it. The arch is covered with white roses, acting as an entrance and starting point of the procession. Zhang Yixing, one of the groom’s closest friends, an acknowledged composer and musical genius, is in charge of the music for the wedding, seated at the right side of the garden, an elegant (and most probably expensive as fuck) white grand piano in front of him. In accordance with the wish of the bride, petals are scattered along the red carpet rolled at the aisle. It was a fairly private event, with only a hundred or more so guests, all dressed glamorously, with their most expensive jewelries adorning different parts of their bodies; gleaming pearls adorned one of the ladies’ neck, oh, and that man is wearing a newly released Rolex watch, and isn’t that an 18 carat diamond on that woman’s ring?

 

_However, Luhan hates roses._

Minseok walks quietly to his position near the place where the vows are to be proclaimed, exchanging pleasantries to the people who recognize him, and waiting patiently as the best man of the groom. He watches everyone murmur excitedly about the venue, curious inquiries on how the bride or the groom will look like, on what would food would be served on the reception, etcetera, etcetera.

 

He can’t help the brewing guilt in his stomach. _Oh_ , if only they knew.

 

\--

Chaos erupts. A lot of shouting is echoed back and forth, incessant buzzing among the crowd is out of control, the parents of Na So Won are red in the face and fuming with anger, the bride just fainted, and from the looks of it, so will the parents of the groom, judging by the sickly pale color on their faces.

 

Luhan is missing.

 

Luhan, the groom, is missing.

 

The groom… is missing.

 

The _groom_ is… _missing_.

 

_The groom is **MISSING**._

 

According to the staff that came to check Luhan’s room, the tuxedo that he is supposed to wear is still on the bed, untouched, and there is only a yellow post-it attached to it, with a simple “Sorry, I can’t do this” scribbled hastily.

 

Amidst the confusion, Minseok loses his coat and tie, the top two buttons of his polo is undone, and his perfectly styled hair is not so perfectly styled anymore due to constant running through of fingers.

 

“Minseok-ah,” Luhan’s mother softly calls him.

 

He turns to her abruptly and holds one of her hands, gazing into her eyes softly. “What is it, auntie[i]?”

 

“Please, call Luhan. I—I… I don’t know what’s happening—call him to come back, please.”

 

“I’ve been doing that, Auntie, but I can’t reach him. His phone is turned off.”

 

The lady goes a shade even paler, her eyes shaking, quickly losing their light and focus. She collapses on the nearest chair, heart-wrenching sobs breaking from her frail body. For the sake of the elder woman, Minseok advises the people around Luhan’s mother to transfer her into her room to let her rest. Too weak to support herself, she clings to the people around her, and the younger man watches her fragile form until he is sure that they have entered the hotel lobby.

 

Luhan’s father is not faring any better than his wife. His face is stonily blank; a mask so serene that one look at him would mistakenly assume that he is not affected by the current proceedings. However, years of being friends with the groom allows the small man to know that there is an extremely violent storm brewing inside the older man’s mind. The elder man turns to Minseok, and now the best man sees the blazing fire in those eyes, “Minseok,” said man gulps, “if you ever reach Luhan,” he nods slightly to indicate he’s listening, anticipating the next words, “tell him… tell him to… never. Show. His. Face. To. Me!”

 

And with that, he proceeds to follow his wife inside.

 

Minseok leaves the venue after that, cannot endure the heavy feeling in his chest anymore.

 

\--

 

Minseok quietly toes his shoes off, entering his apartment languidly, when there are muffled footsteps rushing to him. Luhan is there, wearing his worn out X-Men tee and a pair of sweatpants, a strained smile gracing his lips.

 

He finishes removing his shoes and places them neatly on the shoe rack. He turns to the male before him, edges of his mouth curved up, “Hey, Lu.”

 

Just a simple greeting, but it is more than enough. Luhan barrels his way to wrap his arms around Minseok, a sob tearing through his throat simultaneously.

 

The smaller male automatically wraps his arms around the body that is clinging to him as if he is his anchor, and maybe, he is. He hugs Luhan tightly, his voice failing him and no words coming out, trying to give as much love and comfort he can offer because he knows. He knows how hard and painful it is to hurt your own parents, to run away from lies and start on your own, to finally be yourself after so many years of living as another person.

 

He knows and there is nothing he can do than be there, to let Luhan know and feel that he is there.

 

\--

 

When Luhan has finally calmed down, they move to the couch, the doe-eyed male’s head lying on Minseok’s lap, the latter male sifting his fingers through the former man’s hair.

 

“Hey, Minseok,” Luhan starts.

 

Minseok hums as an indication that he is listening.

 

“What are my parents’ reactions?”

 

The smaller man pauses his actions momentarily before continuing again, opting for silence than answering Luhan’s question hastily. He replies, “Your _mama_ was crying, and your father… your father…”

 

“What about my father?”

 

“He—he was angry… very.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Luhan gazes into Minseok’s eyes, and he recognizes guilt in those orbs, grief, sorrow, and… acceptance. Guilt for those that they’ve hurt—Luhan’s parents, his supposed-to-be-wife and her family, possibly their friends, other people; grief and sorrow that something like this should happen; and acceptance because no matter what will ensue from now on to him—to them, will entirely be in _their_ own hands, a new start, a new beginning. It’s like his feelings reflected in the latter man’s eyes, and Luhan knows that he doesn’t need to face the unpredictable future _alone._

“Minseok-ah.”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“Y—you would never leave me, right?”

 

“No, Luhan, never. We’re in this _together_.”

 

\--

 

In a convenient place in Itaewon, a cafe named Winter Deer remains lifeless.

 

\--

 

_Dear Baba, Mama,_

_I don’t really know what to say. Whenever I think of the bridges that I burned, of the possibility that I won’t be ever to see your faces again, I get scared. And it was that fear that led me to this decision after a long time, because I realized, that no matter how afraid I am of your reactions, I really can’t continue deceiving others and myself._

_It hurts to think of your reactions, of the disappointment that you feel because of me. I’m really sorry. I sincerely apologize for it. However, I don’t regret leaving._

_I can’t continue the wedding, or I’ll kill myself. Spending the rest of my life with someone I don’t love, of pretending, of putting up a façade everyday; I can’t do that. You already know the reason why I can’t, but you refused to hear my side so that left me with no choice._

_I know that you could find me simply, but I hope that you wouldn’t. It saddens me to think that you won’t see me as your son anymore, but this is what I need. Space for myself, a chance to be me. No pretenses. I’ve always relied on the both of you, but this time, please let me stand alone._

_I will come back, and I’m hoping that by then, there would be no more hard feelings between us._

_I love the both of you._

_Your son,_

_Lu Han_

_\--_

_It’s very cliché and drama like that the situation is like this. Rain is pouring hard, with thunders and lightning, and the persons talking are outside of the car, getting drenched._

_“Oppa, just tell me if I did something wrong! Why? Why? WHY?”_

_The man exhales slowly. It hurts. Because even if doesn’t love her the same way, the affection he feels for the girl he’s called his girlfriend for the past months is real. He can’t say anything, because there’s too much he needs to explain, excuses to give, the truth to let out, lies to be corrected. The silence between them continues._

_The girl moves forward and holds the hand of the man in front of her. The harsh bite of the cold wind with the cruel slaps of rain makes her shiver, but nothing is more important than getting an answer. She loved him, and she thought he felt the same way. His actions, his words, his gaze, his smile, and even his frown, it all made her believe._

Was she just she seeing him through a rose-tinted glass?

_“I want to know, oppa. Please. I just—why—I—just. Did I do something wrong? Did I say something? Did I make you angry? If I did something wrong, just—just—please, tell me.”_

_“No, no, you did nothing wrong. It’s—it’s—it’s—”_

A crack.

_“It’s WHAT? WHAT?”_

_“I’m gay, Jimin-ah. That’s—that’s why, we need to end this relationship.”_

Another crack.

_“You’re—you’re—you’re—”_

_The man just nods. He looks stricken but it’s her heart that he’s ripping out from her chest, tearing it to pieces, burning it to ashes until there’s nothing left._

The glass shatters.

 

_“I’m sorry. I’m—I’m really sorry—I’m—”_

_“Since when?”_

_The man looks confused._

_“Since when have you been gay?” She takes one look on his face and she **knows** , it wasn’t just a recent discovery. “Then—why? Just why?”_

_The man just continues apologizing, and even if it hurts her, even if she feels her heart breaking, she feels even more sorrow for the man in front of her, because no matter how much pain she feels, she loves this man, and it just pains her more to see him like this._

_She gathers all the strength she could, stands up straight, and smiles. A brittle one._

_“I hope—with all my heart—that you be happy, Minseok-oppa.”_

_And with that, she leaves the man she loves, with shaky, little steps, sobs wracking her body._

_The man clenches his fist, and shouts to the sky._

\--

 

“Lu, I just texted Junmyeon that we’re on our way to boarding the plane.”

 

“Ah, really? I’m really grateful to him.”

 

“Yeah. It’s great to have a friend like him.”

 

“I think he understands us too well.”

 

“That’s all in the past anyway; he’s happily married to Yifan now. I remember when we helped them sneak out to their dates.”

 

“Yeah. I remember that, too.”

 

Silence settles over them.

 

_Passengers of flight XH9907 to Vancouver, Canada, are now called for boarding._

“That’s our flight, Lu. You okay?”

 

Minseok looks worriedly at Luhan, at the way his face looks pale and gaunt, at the slouch of his form, at the lifelessness of his movements. But, his eyes, even just a little, sparkle with hope, and those eyes bring him relief.

 

Luhan smiles, a small one, with hesitation curling at the end. “Not okay, but better.” He holds Minseok’s hand in his and stands up, taking one last look at the gates of the airport of Incheon, before turning back and moves forward to the boarding gate, Minseok beside him.

 

Things are really not okay. They hurt a lot of people, and cut off connections that may never be rekindled. They’re on to a life starting from the very bottom. But, they’re together, and free from the restrictions of the society that chained them. It’s better.   


 

**Author's Note:**

> And there it's done!
> 
> Crossposted from AFF!


End file.
